Following a shooting in the capital that left three people dead on Sunday, officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced the arrest of several foreigners suspected of being involved in an attempted coup.
Concerns expressed by the apparent inexperience of the claimed coup plotters and their ability to enter one of Congo’s most guarded locations went unaddressed by the succinct government statements.
The Congolese army’s spokesperson, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge, said in a succinct statement on state television that the coup attempt had been quickly foiled by the country’s security services.
Since then, the American ambassador has posted on Twitter about learning of information pointing to American people’ possible involvement.
Video of two detained men with their hands clenched in supplication was shared by the local media, along with pictures of a passport identifying one of the guys as a 36-year-old American citizen born in Maryland.
Three additional Americans were reportedly detained, according to media reports, though these claims could not be independently confirmed.
Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn tweeted in French, “I am shocked by the events of this morning and very concerned by reports of American citizens allegedly involved.”
“We will fully cooperate with DRC authorities in their investigation of these criminal acts and in holding accountable any U.S. citizens who may have been involved.”
Notwithstanding the nation’s natural riches, which includes gold, copper, nickel, and cobalt—all essential for the worldwide transition to green energy—the majority of Congo’s approximately 100 million people live in extreme poverty as a result of persistent civil wars and widespread corruption.
President Félix Tshisekedi decided to postpone this weekend’s planned parliamentary elections.
After a disorganized and opaque election in December, he was re-elected to a second term, which drew criticism from all quarters.
Three people lost their lives in the event, which happened at the home of parliamentary candidate Vital Kamerhe. It was purportedly targeted before the White House.
According to Michel Moto Muhima, Kamerhe’s spokesperson, the incident resulted in the deaths of one attacker and two police officers from his security.
Christian Malanga, a 41-year-old man who founded a political organization among the Congolese diaspora in the United States, is suspected of masterminding the coup attempt.
He proclaimed himself the president of the exiled Congo. According to Dino Mahtani, a former top UN official in Congo, Congolese intelligence had previously accused Malanga of trying to kill then-president Joseph Kabila.
After three people were shot and killed in a gunfight in the city, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced the arrest of the foreigners they claimed were involved in the failed coup attempt.
The event has sparked concerns regarding the supposed plotters’ strategies and how they gained entry to a very secure location in the Congo.
On state television, the spokesperson for the Congolese army, Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, declared that the coup attempt was quickly put down by security personnel.
Reports of American involvement in the events shocked and alarmed U.S. Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn, who also pledged complete assistance with Congolese authorities in the investigation and accountability process.
Three people, two police officers and an attacker, were allegedly killed in the event, which happened at the home of parliamentary candidate Vital Kamerhe.
A 41-year-old American citizen named Christian Malanga is thought to have been the commander of the coup attempt. He has a political background and has been connected to assassination attempts against Congolese officials in the past.
Malanga’s and the other accused American participants’ whereabouts are still unknown.
Benjamin Zalman-Polun, one of the people detained, is purportedly associated with Malanga’s commercial endeavors in Mozambique.
Social media users shared videos of people screaming and threatening at the presidential palace while dressed in military uniforms.
One of the films’ usage of racial language has provoked more indignation and criticism.
The films on the internet show men without firearms, one of them leaning against a wall, which suggests that there isn’t much opposition or thought out strategy.
In one video, a man identified as Malanga yells, “Felix, you’re out,” as armed people standing behind him nonchalantly fidget or straighten their berets before raising a flag connected to Zaire, the nation’s previous name.
Political watchers in Congo had many concerns about the coup attempt’s seeming amateurism and the group’s ease of access to one of the government’s most strongly secured locations.
Mahtani stated, “Malanga has obviously been used by somebody.” “A lot of people in the Congo are unhappy with the president, and there are ambitious powers outside the country who want him removed. A lot of this has to do with ambitions related to resources, especially gold.”
Who is the commander of the attack in Congo that occurred yesterday morning, Christian Malanga Musumari?
born on February 2, 1983, in Kinshasa.
He is a former military officer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who now lives in the US with his whole family.
He founded the United Congolese Party (PCU), a national political party, following his experiences in the 2011 parliamentary elections, and he currently serves as its president.
He was designated as the International Roundtable on Religious Freedom’s inaugural ambassador in 2013.
The official birth of New Zaire occurred on May 17, 2017, when President Malanga established a government in exile in Brussels.
Three Americans are suspected of being involved in a failed coup attempt that left many people dead in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The coup was reportedly thwarted close to the presidential palace by the DRC military. Malanga returned this morning at the Palais de la Nation during an armed attack masterminded by its elements, after having vanished from view for a number of years.
Security sources claim that Christian Malanga was slain by the FARDC for attempting to topple the government; his son was also detained alongside many other people and an American man.
